Class
Descriptions(If
you have any suggestions for
a class you would like to
see please feel free to let
me know)!

Six Week Classes (Cost $160.00)

Puppy K – 6 classes – first class without
the dogs, remaining five classes are with the dogs.
The start of focus and eye contact, sit, down,
stand, the basics of stay, come, loose leash walking
and “sit for petting” (versus
jump on strangers). Answers to those annoying puppy behaviors
will be addressed and the last 15 minutes of each class is
devoted to puppy playtime. Read the new position paper from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior on Puppy Socialization.

Puppy K / AKC
S.T.A.R. PuppySM - 6 classes - first class without
the dogs. The AKC S.T.A.R. PuppySM is a program designed to get dog owners and their puppies off to a good start. The AKC S.T.A.R. PuppySM Program is an incentive program for loving dog owners who have taken the time to take their puppies through a basic training class. READ MORE.

Advanced
Puppy K – 6 classes – all classes
are with the dogs. This is for the group that
wants to continue with training and stay together with
the same group of people and dogs. We review what you
have already learned and continue to add new behaviors.
These new behaviors vary depending on the group itself
.

Performance Puppy - 6 week course,
first class without
the dogs. Start your puppy off right!
This class will be geared for all types of competition
for those of you that already know you want to compete
in dog sports. Agility, competition obedience, rally
will all be addressed. Normal Puppy K stuff will also
be addressed.

Beginners – 6 classes – first class without
the dogs, remaining five classes are with the
dogs. Eye contact, sit, down, stand, stay in all positions,
come, loose leash walking, sitting politely for petting,
door etiquette, impulse control, and a few pet tricks.

Advanced Beginners - 6 week course, all classes are with
the dogs. The first five behaviors needed for the Canine
Good Citizen test.

Accepting a friendly stranger

Sitting politely for petting

Appearance and grooming

Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)

Sit and down on command - staying in place

You will also be learning other behaviors, such as come
with distractions, stay with distractions and more useful
pet tricks.

Pre-Agility with Pam Dennison - Part 1 - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The objective of the class is to familiarize the dog with a number of agility obstacles. We will work on approaches from various angles, with the handler in different positions relative to the dog, from a distance, etc. Shaping will be our primary tool for this. We will also work on targeting and some elementary handling exercises. We start small (jumps low, short tunnels) until the dogs gain confidence. This foundation is essential prior to linking obstacles together in a sequence.

Puppy Agility - 6 week course, This class is specifically geared towards puppies 5-12 months of age. This is where the introduction to agility begins. Flat work, plank work and target work. Motivation, Drive, Body awareness will be the main focus of this class. Introduction to the "T's" ( table, tire and tunnel ). Teams can expect to stay in this class for more than one session.

Foundations to Agility - 6 week course, This is where the introduction to agility begins. Flat work, plank work, target work and introducing crosses. Introduction to jumping and the "T's" ( table, tire and tunnel ). Teams can expect to stay in this class for more than one session.

* Prerequisites - graduate of performance puppy or similar basic program (Dog and handler should understand clicker training, have reliable stay, solid hand target and can shape behaviors.)

Timid Dog Agility - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. Limit of 4 dogs in the class. this class is for those dogs that are afraid of just about everything.
We'll be using shaping (and a little luring if needed) to help them
overcome some of their fears. This class is not really about agility -
you're most likely not going to end up on the World Team - it's about
using agility/shaping to build confidence in you and your dog.

Tracking 101 - 6 week course $150.00. This class will get you and your dog started for the
sport of AKC tracking. In this venue, you will "lay" (walk) a track
and your dog will learn to follow the scent of the person that walked
the track. Tracking 101 will include straight lines, curves and angled
turns. No prior skills needed - just a nose .

Pre-Agility with Pam Dennison - Part 2 - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The objective of the class is to continue training with a number of agility obstacles. We will continue to work on approaches from various angles, with the handler in different positions relative to the dog, from a distance, etc. Shaping will continue as our primary tool for this.

Breed Handling with a Twist - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. in this class we will actually be *teaching* the dogs all
of the behaviors needed for the breed ring, as opposed to just
dragging them around. Teaching them to gait, free stack, hard stack,
accepting handling and more will all be part of this class. Cost: $100 for five weeks.

Building an Off Leash Dog, Part One - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs.: This is the
first in a series of 4. To build an off leash dog, we'll need to make
you more interesting than the environment and build special foundation
skills, as well as the normal puppy skills.

Training the Whistle Recall Class - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. This class is based on my DVD of the same
name. Maximum of 5 dogs per class. All of the dogs MUST be good with
other dogs and people, since eventually we'll be off leash or leash
dragging. Cost for this class is $160.00 which includes 1 whistle.

Benefits: The whistle recall is a great tool for many reasons ~

If your dog is starting to lose its hearing, the whistle will often
be heard

If you have poisoned their “Come” cue, the whistle is a great
alternative

If the dog gets lost, the whistle sound travels much farther than a
verbal recall

The whistle can be heard over nature’s sounds - surf, thunder,
rain, etc., and even man-made sounds like a generator, loud trucks, etc.

The whistle is never annoyed, never angry, never scared or
panicked; It sounds the same every time

Extreme Pet Tricks - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs.
Have you ever wondered how trainers get their dogs to "say your
prayers," grind their own toenails, clean up their toys, do a
handstand and more? Then this class is for you! For the novice or not
so novice trainer/dog, all levels are welcome.

Service Dog Tricks - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. Even if you don't need a Service dog, it's still pretty neat to have
your dog turn the light on and off, retrieve the phone, pick up
anything you dropped, etc.

Canine Good Citizen - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The ten behaviors needed for the Canine Good Citizen test.

Accepting a friendly stranger

Sitting politely for petting

Appearance and grooming

Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)

Sit and down on command - staying in place

You will also be learning other behaviors, such as come with distractions, stay with distractions and more useful pet tricks.

Walking through a crowd

Coming when called

Reaction to another dog

Reaction to distraction

Supervised separation

We will also be doing additional behaviors with increased distractions and if possible, off leash work – heeling, stays, come and even more useful pet tricks!

Therapy
Dog class, Level 3 - 6 week course,
all classes are with the dogs
There are three Levels of Classes to get
your CGC & TDI
- Level 3: Covers the behaviors needed for your TDI. Ignoring
dropped food, being comfortable around walkers, canes
and wheelchairs.

Rally
/ Competition - 6 week course, all classes
are with the dogs.
Rally is a new and upcoming sport that takes all
of the behaviors that are pretty standard when you train
your dog - walk on a loose leash, sit, down, stay, etc.
- and makes them fun and rewarding. And, you get to earn
titles! Rally is a great in-between sport, if you can't
decide what to do next - whether it be earning your CGC
or TDI, going into competition obedience or starting agility.
Rally is the sport for you!

Drill Team . 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The behaviors are similar to rally and obedience, but the exercises are done in a group in sync with each other. Pre-requisite - your dog must have a modicum of a heel and be good with other dogs. Take a look at some Drill Team class videos!

Canine Life & Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) B.A. Level (Pam Dennison is an official
evaluator and instructor - read more at www.mydoghasclass.com)

There are three different levels of C.L.A.S.S.

Bachelor's (B.A) level asses the core life skills of a student/dog team and includes a knowledge assessment of the student's understanding of basic dog handling and care.

Master (M.A.) Level assess the life skills of a student/dog team with distractions

Doctorate (Ph.D) level is the highest level designed to assess the performance reliability of a dog/student team's life skills.

All students must start in the B.A. level and progress to higher
levels as they pass each level. Successfully completing each C.L.A.S.S. level is like earning an
academic degree in real-life skills with your dog. The neat thing is that many shelters are also adopting this program to
work with shelter dogs to make them more adoptable!

Free Shaping - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs.
Learn how to free shape tricks you only dreamed about training!
Roll over and cover with a blanket, bow, wipe your feet, trim your
own nails (!!!), close doors, go to bed, carry trick or treat basket
to door, put toys away, turn on lights (and turn them off), and
much more! Some of these are useful, some just fun.

Agility
Prep - 6 week course, all classes are
with the dogs
This class is designed to teach your dog to think
for themselves (really, not a bad thing!), be comfortable
around certain pieces of equipment, stand on moving surfaces,
jump simple sequences. Prerequisite is Beginners. FMI,
please call Pam at 908-459-5244.

Super Dooper Advanced - 6 week
course, all classes are with the dogs
Continuing to build
those foundation and free shaping behaviors and working off
leash indoors and on leash outdoors (when the weather
is good).

Intro to Treibball - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs.
Treiball is new sport that came from Germany
is also called "push ball" or "soccer for dogs." Whatever it's called,
its FUN FUN FUN! You don't need a herding breed or even a dog that is
very athletic - the dog in this video clip is both of those, but not
to worry - you can do Treibball with your calmer dogs too! Great for
dogs that no longer do agility and for those handlers that don't want
to run agility.

Four Week Classes
(Cost $110.00 unless otherwise designated)

Acting
Classes for Dogs! **
This series of classes will be about teaching your dog
behaviors needed for print ads, commercials, TV shows and
movies. Once your dog reaches a certain level of proficiency,
my agent will come, take photos and put you in her database
for future jobs! The behaviors listed below are just a
small taste of what you and your dog will learn! In addition
to the behaviors learned, distraction training will also
be addressed (walking on city streets, up elevators, in
crowded rooms with millions of people and cameras). Being
flexible and training on the fly is also a part of these
classes.

It's Showtime!

Level 1 "Extra!"
Target with nose, paw, chin, target to a "mark," sit
in chair and place paws on table,
work for a stranger, ride a skateboard, close doors,
lie down/head up, lie down/head down, lie down/head
on paws and more!

Level 2 "Model!"
Jump a jump, open doors, pull objects, put paws
up on windowsill and look out, kiss someone's
face, working off leash, go fast or slow on cue and more!

Level 3 "Supporting Actor!"
Lift leg (as if peeing), go through a door and
stop, go around objects and stop, play
with a stranger (petting, hugging and with toys), retrieve
any object, go to a specified place and more!

Level 4 "The Lead!" (aka Do They Give Oscars
to Dogs?)
Bite pants leg on cue, put toys away, carry
toy to a mark and drop it, hump a person’s
leg on cue, learn the names of body parts
and more!

**The reason I developed these
classes is because I just had the opportunity
to do a TV commercial with Emma (Olympic Paint).
I had so much fun (as did Emma), I am still
on cloud 9 after 4 days. After being stuck
in traffic with my agent for hours :o(, the
idea for these classes came to me. I ran it
past my agent and she thought it was a super
idea, since there doesn't seem to be any acting
classes for dogs. She will feed me more behavior
ideas as she thinks of them, but these are
enough to start with.

Let's Window Shop - We'll be taking the dogs to many different locations, including the Philipsburg Mall!

On the Road - 4 week course held only in the
spring, summer and fall – all classes with
the dogs. We will take the dogs "on
the road" and meet in 4 different locations to
train the dogs in more real life scenarios, building
on the skills already learned in the previous levels.

Back to Basics - 4 week course, all classes
with the dogs. This will be a 4 week course to get
you back on the right track if you haven't
been in for training in awhile. A great refresher
course to add between levels!

Everybody in the Pool! - 4 week course, all
classes with the dogs. Just like this sounds, we
will be teaching the dogs to swim! Not all dogs
naturally know how to swim. If your dog will go
into the water but only up to a point, this is the
class for you. We will take the dogs to 3 different
locations with 3 different water sources - a river,
a lake and a swimming pool. (yes we all have to
wear bathing suits...)

Three Week Classes (Cost $75.00 unless otherwise designated)

Desensitization For Breed Handling *and* Vet Visits - Does your dog not allow a mouth exam? Is your dog too squirmy/happy to
handle a body exam? Is your dog nervous about being examined? This
mini course will teach your dog to willingly accept all of the
behaviors needed for the breed ring, as well as for vet visits.
Pre-registration is a must.

Growl Class - Six
Week Increments (Cost: $300.00)

Class for aggressive
or reactive dogs. 6 week increments, all classes with the dogs. Morning
sessions from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m on Tuesdays & Sundays.
Prerequisite: minimum of 6 privates with me.

Please note: Depending on your dog's
issues and threshold distances, completing privates
with me is no guarantee that your dog will still
be suitable for the group class. Not all dogs are
appropriate for a group setting. If management decides
that your dog needs additional skills prior to participating
or is not a suitable candidate for class, management
reserves the right to decline his/her continued
attendance.

This is NOT about muzzling the dogs, throwing them into a
room together to “let them work it out.” Classes
are set up so that the dogs do NOT “pop” off, do
NOT aggress, do not bite. Everyone is as safe as humanly possible,
everyone is calm. If your dog’s initial threshold for
remaining calm is being 10 acres away, so be it! That is where
we will start!

This program is all about setting the dog up to be successful,
calm and focused on the handler. It is all about desensitizing
and counter conditioning your dog to their own personal “provoking
stimuli.”

There are no more than five dogs in a class. There are no
more than one or two dogs out at a time. Most of the beginning
training will be held outdoors (yes, even in the freezing winter,
so­ bundle up!) We will rotate dogs in small, short, successful
sessions, always gradually building their tolerance and acceptance
of their fearful object(s). We will help each other to be successful
and glory in the successes of others.

Prerequisite for joining the class: at least 6 privates with
me AND super name recognition from your dog and a super recall.

GROOMING Class - for the not-so-dummy, but for the person that just doesn't
know how. This will be a 3 hour class, limited to 4 dogs. It will be held offsite (yes I used to
be a a groomer and owned Pride 'n Groom in Washington), on a Saturday.
It will be the first Saturday once the class is filled.

All breeds are welcome because I used to groom all breeds.

Cost is $80.00 and that will yield you not only the knowledge and
hands on experience, but also a completely groomed dog (of which you
will do most of it with me helping, showing).

Tell me what breed you have and bring what tools you have. As part of
the course, if you all want to, once all of the dogs are groomed,
we'll go over to Cherrybrook so I can help you shop for the right tools.

Leave
it, aka Mine! This
3 week class will get you on the road to getting
a very reliable "mine" cue.
An invaluable behavior, which can save you a great
deal of heartache as well as emergency trips to the
vet when your dog races to get the "cookie" you
dropped - only it wasn't a cookie, it was medicine
that is toxic for dogs. Or drinking out of that
stagnant puddle on the trail that can contain
bacteria or the puddle in the parking lot that
can contain deadly anti-freeze. And let's not
forget the old standby - goose poo! 3 session/3
hours. Cost $70.00